My First Pattern

I have a few pattern ideas rolling around in my head - several of them lovely lacy things - but I thought I'd start simple. Introducing Sidekick:



A simple bag, just big enough for wallet, keys, and sunglasses. It comes with a long i-cord strap, making it just perfect for running about town on those summer days when you find yourself without pockets.

The pattern can be adjusted for any yarn as long as the resulting fabric is pretty tight. A great use for scraps from your stash.

Skills used: Provisional cast on, knitting in the round, double-pointed needles, three-needle bind off, picking up stitches, i-cord. Magic loop for knitting in the round is optional.



I'm in the process of adding it to Ravelry, but it's also available as a link in the bar to the right. I can't wait to see what others do with it. Enjoy!

Yarn Love

Just to prove spinning hasn't taken over, here are some pictures of recent stash acquisitions. The Malabrigo Silky Merino falling down came right after hearing of the recent fire in their headquarters - I felt I had to stash some quickly before a Malabrigo shortage hit the world. (It looks like they are dyeing again now, yay!)




Malabrigo Silky Merino in Indiecita (top) and Stonechat (bottom), 5 skeins each

I love these pictures of the Malabrigo Silky - the texture of the yarn, the richness of the colorways. I'm considering Clapotis or another kind of stole that will really highlight the colors (i.e., mostly stockinette, not lacy). Next up is silk lace is from the Sundara Seasons Club. I'm not sure I'd wear this color, but I'm not ready to swap it yet.


Sundara Silk Lace in Granite Falls

And well, maybe spinning has taken over. Because I now have a wheel in my house (lent to me by my knitting mentor), and I purchased these rovings from Crown Mountain Farms (before the current sale, sigh):


Corriedale Pencil Roving in the Eire colorway


Blue Face Leicester top in the Shala colorway

Beginning Spinner

I finished up the fiber I got to take home for the week, more Coopworth wool:



I very much enjoyed the spinning, but toward the end of the bobbin felt my legs tiring. Does this mean spinning is good exercise? I can't wait to start playing with color.

This left me with two bobbins of spun yarn, shown below as wound balls because I only had one bobbin to work with. We didn't get time to ply in the second wheel spinning class, although we did see it demonstrated. Since I'm currently without a wheel, I think the plying is going to have to happen on the drop spindle.



In the second class, I got to use a Lendrum castle-style wheel. I think I like the Ashford Traditional I used last week a little bit better - I think it's because the Ashford has a larger wheel and so spun a bit faster. But the castle-style wheel is much more practical for storage, so when I get a wheel, I expect it will be a castle-style one. My knitting mentor is going to lend me his castle-style Shacht wheel, and I suspect after that, I will be quite spoiled.

I don't have pictures of the following, but (EDITED to add pictures)

We also got to spin with Blue Faced Leicester (oh, it's so dreamy, and I could spin a very fine single!), and we carded some pre-washed Romney fleece, created rolags, and spun it up too. I spun two rolags on the wheel in class and then finished the other two rolags at home on the drop spindle.


BFL & Merino samples, Romney samples

I learned that I definitely prefer spinning from roving, and I definitely prefer spinning on a wheel.

Learning to Spin

I've been wanting to learn to spin before it seemed like such a bandwagon thing, but the timing of my first spinning classes happens to coincide with half the knitting world doing the same thing. Which just means I have good company!

On June 11th, I took a 2.5 hour drop spindle class. We got simple drop spindles and fiber to play with and take home. It took the whole 2.5 hours to get the idea that you pinch with one hand, draft with the other, and then release the twist to let it travel up the drafted fiber and ta-da - yarn.



I completely overspun the first single I spun, so I actually ran it through the spindle again to loosen the overspin. Which, of course, was overkill - the singles are so loosely plied that they are basically singles still. But it's my very first handspun. I wound up with 1.9 of very chunky two-ply handspun Coopworth wool in natural colors:



Then, this weekend, I started a two-part wheel spinning class. I love spinning on a wheel. It goes so fast! I'm glad I took the drop spindle class first, because I already understood the pinch-draw-release combo move, and it made for a fun class. Here's the bobbin I spun in class:



These singles will probably still make yarn larger than I typically knit with, but it's much more even and thinner than the singles from my drop spindle. And, we even got to take wheels home for the week. (This is an Ashford Traditional Saxony-style. Next weekend I get to try a Lendrum Castle-style wheel.)


(My cat checking things out.)

Last night I subscribed to Spin-Off and then today, I signed up for the Funky Carolina Fiber Club. No going back for me!

Overly Ambitious?

* Number of days spent on my recent trip to Portland, OR: 3
* Number of knitting-hours spent in the car on said trip: 7
* Number of knitting projects I brought with me: 4
* Number of projects I actually worked on: 1
* Number of rows I knitted on said project during said 7 hours: 20
* Number of minutes each row took me, on average: 21

When planning for a trip, I seem to think every minute spent away from home will be spent knitting. But between navigating for my partner while driving through an unfamiliar town, time spent visiting with friends and family, time spent photographing kids playing, and time playing with the kids, there wasn't a whole lot of knitting that actually happened. I also always seem to forget how long those final rows of triangular lace shawls are! I seem to think that 20 rows left means I'll be done in about an hour. No, not so much.

* Number of knitting stores I visited in Portland: 1
* Number of skeins of yarn I bought: 0
(Took some willpower though! Knit/Purl had an amazing Koigu selection! My subscription to the Sundara Seasons Club, my desire to only purchase yarn I can't get at home, and my partner standing next to me, kept me from walking away with a lovely souvenir.)

I did finish knitting the Icy Shetland Triangle shortly after I made it home from the trip.



Pattern: Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A. Clark
Yarn: Sundara Sock Yarn in Pale Skies over Sugared Violet, approx 1.7 skeins
Needles: US size 6

Two skeins of the yarn, 700 yards, brought me to a finished shawl of 13 lace repeats plus the edging. I'm pretty sure there is enough yarn left that I could have done 14 repeats. Pre-blocked, it's measuring 50.5 x 21 inches. Which brings me to another statistic:

* Number of finished shawls I still need to block before they are "FOs": 3



(From top to bottom: Icy Shetland Triangle, Lace Leaf Shawl, and Tuscany.)

Swatching Feather & Fan

I realized I'd never really shown off the swatching I did for the Great Feather & Fan Shawl Project of 2008.


Sock Hop Handspun Yarn, needles in US size 8

I like the fabric that the yarn and needles make. I love the blend of colors from the handspun yarn. (Also, side note, speaking of handspun, I'm taking my first spinning class tonight - drop spindles!)



I find some of the color changes to not work as well as I'd like. So I'm planning to be a bit organic with switching skeins - I'll go by feel rather than by number of repeats knitted, and I'll look for a complimentary rather than jarring color when ready to switch skeins.



All I need to do is figure out which pattern to use. I'm looking at four different ones (all Ravelry links): Evelyn A. Clark's Shoalwater Shawl, Sarah Bradberry's Feather and Fan Comfort Shawl, Myrna Stahman's Mirialis, and Danielle Miner's Pacific Waves Shawl. I've started to get annoyed with the way triangular shawls don't sit comfortably on the shoulders, so I'm leading towards one of the last two, which are Faroese and L-shaped, respectively. If any of my readers have experience with Faroese or L-shaped shawls, I'd love some feedback!

Fridays are for...

Is it Eye Candy or Yarn Pr0n on Fridays? I'm not sure. Either way, the following will surely count:



The six yarns & colorways from the Sundara Yarn 2007-2008 Seasons Club, Winter. She really has an eye for color, doesn't she?



Clockwise from upper left: Fingering Silky Merino in Winter Sky, Aran Silky Merino in Charcoal over Blue Lagoon (simply divine - and we got three skeins of it!), Silk Lace in Black over Fuschia, Sock Yarn in Candied Chrome, Sock Yarn in Burnt Cranberries, and Sock Yarn in Emerald over Charcoal. I signed up for another year of the club and stuck with Winter.

This is the "Icy Shetland Triangle" that I'm knitting out of two skeins of Sundara Sock Yarn in Pale Skies over Sugared Violet. (One skein down, up to one more to go). I really love this yarn for lace, and I love the play of colors without wild variegation. It's also as soft as buttah.



I couldn't justify the expense, but now I regret that I didn't sign up for two installments of Winter, since two skeins in the right amount for a shawl but one is too little in my book. My single skeins will likely become scarves, cowls, or baby sweaters. Or maybe I'll be able to do some trading and wind up with enough for more shawls.

Project Spectrum Earth

I was a little more involved with the posting for Project Spectrum Elements - Earth than I was for Fire. What can I say? I love Earth in so many ways, and green is one of my favorite colors. Here are the end-of-the-element mosaics showing my contributions:



1. Birch Detail, 2. Birch in Process, 3. Birch Edges, 4. Birch Swatch in Hemlock, 5. Fern Leaf Lace Pattern Detail, 6. Birch Swatch, 7. Four Skeins, 8. Hemlock Detail, 9. Stacked, 10. Berroco Ultra Alpaca, 11. Green Yarn Cake, 12. Indigo-Dyed Super Sock Yarn, 13. Indigo-Dyed Super Sock Yarn, 14. Green Varigated Bib, 15. Lagoon, 16. Marron Oscuro Hank, 17. Vaa Hank, 18. Malabrigo Chunky, 19. Foliage x 2, 20. Foliage x 2, 21. Side View 2, 22. Camel Yarn, 23. Handspun Camel Yarn, 24. Handspun yarn, 25. Handspun Yarn



1. Cupcakes, 2. Strawberries, 3. Tomato Flowers, 4. Sweet Woodruff, 5. Cucumber, 6. Snap Peas, 7. Tomato Starts, 8. Snap Peas, 9. Sprouted Seeds, 10. Sprouting Snap Peas, 11. Seeds, 12. Lemon Balm, 13. Oregano, 14. Hens & Chickens, 15. Fungus on a Tree, 16. Salal Berries and Sun-Bleached Tree, 17. Beach Stones, 18. Maple Tree, 19. Curly Vine, 20. Beach Stones, 21. Maple Leaves, 22. Chickweed Flowers, 23. Beach Stones, 24. Red Alder Tree and Moss, 25. Turkey Tail Fungus & Moss

In knitting news, I finished the Lace Leaf Shawl but haven't blocked it yet, have completed 7 repeats of the Icy Shetland Triangle, and ordered a scale so that I can make a decision about frogging Birch or not. I have also picked up the languishing Sampler Blanket again for Project Spectrum Elements- Air and am thinking it might end up as a baby blanket.

Photo Finals

Thanks to everyone who voted in my Photo Query post a few weeks ago. As I probably should have expected, there was a diversity of opinion, which meant no clear winners. But I was at least reassured that there were no "wrong" choices.

My final class, where a gallery owner will be present to review our work, is tomorrow night. Here are the final six:













I'm thinking of making photo cards to sell on Etsy or CafePress, or both. But it will probably take a while for me to get things together.

Also, if you are in the Seattle area, some of the above images will be in a show at the UW Medical Center between June 13 and July 14. There will be an opening reception on June 13th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and you are certainly welcome to attend!

Cast On: Birch

I realized I never did a post re casting on the Birch Shawl, just one about swatching for it. So here it goes (but, be forewarned, it gets angsty):



I wanted to make the shawl a little on the big size, but as a top-down shawl, you have to figure out how many stitches to cast on in the very beginning, and I had trouble doing so. I asked for math advice here and on the Ravelry Lace Knitters group forum, to no avail. I don't want to knit Kiri (I want the shawl knit straight down, as opposed to sideways down with a dividing line of two yarnovers down the middle). I don't want to knit bottom-up, because that turned the lace pattern on its head, and I prefer it with the leaves hanging down rather than pointing up. Yes, I'm picky, but I'm knitting it so I can make it exactly what I want.

In the end I decided to cast on 319 stitches, which is two more repeats than the pattern calls for. I figured that if I used up more than half a skein in those first two repeats, I could frog and cast back on with fewer stitches.



You see where this is going, right? I'm about a repeat and a half in (which has been at least six hours of work, probably more like eight), and my gut tells me I've used more than half of the first ball of yarn. I don't have a scale to weigh it and know for sure. (I suppose I could take it to my LYS and get it weighed.) And, of course, I don't actually want to rip out all that work that looks so lovely now that I'm here.

I could order another skein of yarn, most of which I wouldn't end up using. I could rip and cast back on with 10 fewer stitches - I'm pretty sure I have enough yarn for that. Or, you know, I could pick an entirely different yarn. (Yup, here's the angsty bit).

I really like how it is knitting up. I've never used yarn this fine on needles this large, so it's much more "holey" than I'm used to, and it looks lovely. It's going to be an airy, light, wonderful shawl. But, as Project Spectrum Earth project, and one that I'm calling "Rustic," the truth is I envisioned something much earthier and heavier. Look at this Birch knit in Felted Tweed. Or wouldn't it be lovely in Berocco Ultra Alpaca Light? (Although they don't have the dark evergreen color I have in mind.) But I don't really want to go out and buy new yarn when I already bought some specifically for this shawl.

In any case, this lovely shawl is now in time out while I ponder my options. (And, um, if you'd recommend a nice DK-or-sport-weight rustic, earthy, tweedy, evergreen green yarn, I'm open to suggestions.)